Sports Illustrated first transgender swimsuit model

[Thegenderbreadperson]

Sports Illustrated are publicising their first transgender (MtF) model. The male followers of sports illustrated are unhappy, are clearly saying they wouldn’t see this model as a partner, and are making lots of misgendering comments. However these posters don’t seem to be getting the aggressive sexualised comments that women who comment on trans issues get, and no threats of fixing or cancelling.
Wonder why that is?

twitter.com/si_swimsuit/status/1281635702392999942?s=21

The model is stunning, can't help but feel they've been set up, some of the comments are grim.
I showed the picture to my (admittedly gruff) DH who gave a cursory glance and said "that's a bloke".

My 3yo DD "corrected" him that it was a lady.

Ah yes the "beauty standard" which is a barely pubescent stick insect looking type deal.

It's always confused me how this came about, since 99% of adult females look nothing like this.

But if it’s all about how you feel and if you like link barbies... why bother going through plastic surgery to look like a unrealistic pinup girl?

My earlier comment was deleted so I'll rephrase.

I don't care at all that this model was chosen for the front cover, what bothers me is that no one complaining on Twitter (men) are being told to suck or choke on anything.

The double standard of free speech remains (and again I have been told off here for recognising biological reality).

Sports Illustrated know their readership but will the male readers send complaint letters, stop buying it or be told they are transphobic bigots or worse?

Sport Illustrated also do a damn fine job on photoshop. Always have.

I’m probably being a bit thick. ‘Sports illustrated’ - why aren’t they a sportsperson or someone doing sporty things? It’s like having a photo of a bowl of grapes on the cover of horse and hound.

So let the men perform their fantasy of what a woman is to each other, and leave us all the hell alone to get on with our lives.

Interestingly, in some countries with highly restrictive social rules for women, there is a tradition of young males being recruited into dancer / sex worker roles where they dress up as women, dance like women and are required to have sex with older men. In Afghanistan, these boys are called ‘Bacha’ and there was a documentary released about them in 2010 called ‘The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan’. Sadly it usually is based on coercion of underage boys rather than consenting participation of young men so it is abusive. The US military have had issues with their soldiers speaking up about the practice and this causing tensions with local leaders. Khaled Hosseini wrote about this too in his book ‘The Kite Runner’.

However I’m sure TRAs would interpret the practice as a sign of how other cultures are so much more tolerant and accepting of diverse gender expression than our own oppressive Western colonialist sex binary-obsessed culture.

Michelle, it's the backlash we've mentioned for years.

I mean, "we told you so" isn't going to have more impact than all the times we did tell them so, but it's true none the less.

@RednaxelasLunch

Ah yes the "beauty standard" which is a barely pubescent stick insect looking type deal.

It's always confused me how this came about, since 99% of adult females look nothing like this.

Marketing is the purpose of creating an unachievable look as the ideal. Runway models need to look as much like clothes hangers as possible to sell the fashions. To get a peek into the evolution of the look you can go back to the old beauty pageant videos and watch the body style change in just a few short years from beautiful human female to corseted caricature.

@SerenityNowwwww

I’m probably being a bit thick. ‘Sports illustrated’ - why aren’t they a sportsperson or someone doing sporty things? It’s like having a photo of a bowl of grapes on the cover of horse and hound.

It is Sports Ill's annual homage to misogyny. Just in case the female athletes get to thinking they are viewed as people, SI does this every year to remind women they are nothing but sex objects and wank fodder.

I see Katy sherpa is now on the thread insulting straight men for not being attracted to the T model.

It will be interesting to see - so far straight men and dude bros have mostly escaped the whole 'genital preferences are transphobic' shtick. Let's see how it goes down with straight men.

It's rather bizarre, because stunningly attractive people are often subtly androgynous (think Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt), yet androgynous-phobia is also a thing?

They’re not androgynous!

I have big hands, but they’re female-proportioned. Woman can have a strong jawline, but the proportions are subtly female. It’s really interesting to learn about the subtle difference between male and female proportions.

I notice that the anti-telling-the-truth censorship has been.